


Cast Shadow

by TreepeltA113



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark!hiccup, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 07:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1889370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreepeltA113/pseuds/TreepeltA113
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something's lurking on the island of Berk, but Hiccup would never have guessed that the shadowy intruder was himself. Dark!Hiccup one-shot, might extend into a multi-chapter story later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cast Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna come clean up front and say I have no idea what this is, really, I just drew some fanart here http://fav.me/d77wijf and it spiraled into this elaborate Dark AU. So have fun. :D Might do more later.

_This was a bad idea._

Hiccup knew it had been a poor decision on his part to explore the western forest by himself, but when the Chief delegates, he delegates. Reports of a dark figure roaming the island had been flooding in from every Viking on Berk all night, and it had fallen to the Academy kids to hunt it down. Of course, Hiccup, being as recklessly bold as ever, had volunteered to search the woods by himself. He was now regretting that decision. Usually he wasn’t scared of the dark. Usually. But here, on foot, with the trees rustling all around and his imagination creating monsters of bushes and dragons of boulders, he felt a bit of that childhood fear creep into his heart. 

“Stay close, bud,” he said softly, leading the way farther down the path. The Night Fury was jumpy himself, his movements tense and coiled as he crept behind Hiccup with his eyes wide and nostrils flared. A twig snapped in the distance and they both stopped, looking in the direction the noise had come. The branches snapped once again, more deliberately this time, and Toothless growled deep in his chest.

Hiccup ran a hand over Toothless’ head to calm him, but inwardly he was just as shaken as the Night Fury. It was like the forest surrounding them had been replaced with a dark, twisted version, so black and heavy was the night. The trees rattled again. The pair started and jerked their heads around, pulses thrumming in time, out of time, pressing closer to each other. It was coming, and it wasn’t human--it hadn’t even touched the ground and it sounded like it was right over their heads.

Then a growling, crooning sound echoed around the woods, so unnatural and yet so painfully familiar. Toothless snapped his head up and his ears stuck straight out. He froze, trembling, listening to the dragonspeak; Hiccup’s stomach dropped as he noticed that the dragon’s pupils had shrunk to slits. His friend was in wild, primal, instinctual mode. He was unpredictable now. “Toothless--”

But at the sound of his name, Toothless skidded away from Hiccup and his gentle touch. Scrambling between trees, he distanced himself from his rider, eyes huge with some unknown fear. “Hey, hey, whoa, bud, it’s just me, it’s--”

Something whistled past his head and thudded into the tree behind him. Hiccup froze with his hand outstretched and turned his head slowly to see the Deadly Nadder spike quivering, buried in the wood. Something had thrown it at him and it wasn’t a Nadder.

As if on cue, a voice began to speak.

“I missed on purpose.” Hiccup shuddered at the raw, deep-throated voice. Why, _why_ did it sound so familiar? “How about you get down on the ground, where I can see you.”

“Who are you?” Hiccup said defiantly.

Another spike flew through the air and nearly clipped Hiccup’s arm. He actually felt it catch on his sleeve. “Someone who’s not joking. Now _get down._ ”

Glancing nervously at Toothless, who seemed to be straining in place, Hiccup got carefully down on his knees, digging his fingers into the damp soil. Normally he would have covered up his fear with a bold, sarcastic remark, but right now he figured it would just get him killed. The branches rustled as the thing moved behind him and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Interesting.” The pad of footsteps came towards him from behind and he started to turn to catch a glimpse of the stranger. A hand suddenly clamped down on the back of his head, and Hiccup was alarmed to feel claws pricking his scalp. “No, I don’t think so.” The hand tilted his head back and to the side, examining him like he was looking for blemishes on livestock. “Could’ve been worse,” he mused. “Could’ve been a lot worse.” It was too dark to make out the figure through his peripheral vision. The thumb slid down to the corner of his jaw, and Hiccup wanted to yank free, but the grip was too firm to break out of. 

“What do you want?” Hiccup hissed, unable to stand the inspection any longer.

The fingers tightened almost imperceptibly. “What do I want? Hiccup, I traveled here to meet you. After all, you and I are very much alike, even if you do have a hard time holding onto your limbs.” The voice grew closer, and Hiccup could feel hot breath on the back of his neck. “How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Train the Night Fury. You didn’t have enough guts to kill it, so what did you do with it?”

Hiccup pulled away, feeling a hot swell of anger. “I’m not telling you anything.”

The stranger chuckled. “Well, well, well, you have changed! Come on, that’s the only thing you have to tell me. I know everything else.”

“Really. Do you, now.”

“Absolutely.” He faded back into the trees and Hiccup could see nothing of him, he could only hear the guttural voice surrounding him like fog. “You were born on a leap day, the little Chief’s mistake, and at first you had a loving family. Then your mother was kidnapped, and you were left with nothing but the disappointment of your father and the pity of the village. Gobber took you in when you were eight. You’ve wanted to kill a dragon so badly your whole life, because you could imagine the proud smile and the cheers of the village and Astrid’s kiss, but you weren’t allowed to use your mind and be yourself, and you’ve been frustrated and angry and lonely.”

Hiccup felt lightheaded. His heart was thundering so quickly that every beat felt painful. _How?_

“Then the night came. It was the middle of a dragon raid. Your dad told you not to go around wrecking the village, but you knew you could do it this time, you knew it would be worth it. And it was. You’d finally done it. You’d shot down the Night Fury. That was almost two years ago.”

It wasn’t possible. There was no way he was able to know so much. Hiccup’s joints seemed to be frozen; he couldn’t look up at the sound of footsteps approaching from the front. He only saw the edges of the stranger’s cape. “Who are you?” he whispered, shaking.

The pine needles crackled as he knelt. “Don’t you know me, Hiccup?” A hand on his chin forced him to look up from the ground, first at the tall leather boots, then the worn pants, the scale armor, the long cloak, the arms marked with spiraling ink dragons, and finally he saw the scaly face, the long pointed ears, the fangs and the dark green eyes with slitted pupils. Hiccup gasped in surprise and sudden recognition, and the fangs quirked up in a sly grin.

“I’m you,” the other Hiccup said.

Hiccup’s breathing became ragged. He pulled back and looked at the warped, draconic version of himself. “No. No, you’re not. I don’t look like that.”

“Yes, I am. And if you need any more proof, I can keep talking. I have the exact same memories that you have, up until the very second we lifted the knife and looked into the Night Fury’s eyes. You didn’t kill it. But I did.”

“But how?” Hiccup was morbidly curious in spite of himself. “If we’re the same person, how did you do something different than me?”

“I didn't exist until you made that decision to spare the dragon. Until then, I was you. But the choice was so huge that it created a new reality where I brought the knife down. In my world, the Night Fury is dead. Incidentally, have you learned what happens to the person who dares to kill Death’s offspring?”

“I can guess,” Hiccup said wryly, staring at the other Hiccup’s dark claws.

“Smart kid.” The other Hiccup grinned again. “At least that part of you hasn't changed. Yes, when I finally proved myself as a Viking, something came and changed me into this...monster.” His tone grew bitter. “I was the same Hiccup, trapped in this nightmare of a body, but no one understood that. They thought I was some cursed demon. I returned to Berk with my prize and they chased me away, and Stoick didn't stop them.”

Hiccup was horrified. _If both Stoicks are the same, that means...that means Dad would've done the same to me._ He didn't want to hear any more, he wanted to leave but there was nowhere to go and the other Hiccup was still talking. So he listened. 

“Being half-dragon has its...advantages,” he continued, and for a second it seemed like his cloak had shifted by itself. “I left Berk and made it to Dragon Island. I found I could communicate with dragons, and they were wary of me at first, but eventually I became one of them. They helped me see that there was nothing left for me on the human island. I grew stronger, faster, more than any ordinary human, and I knew that Fate was putting me in a position to strike back at the Vikings. I made myself as different from them as I could.” His fingers drifted over the snarling dragons inked over his sliding muscles. “Then I started having the dreams.

“They weren't nightmares, but they were dark and strange...I kept seeing the faces of other half-humans, and I heard a voice telling me things, helping me, giving me advice. I did what it told me, and finally I was ready to take on Berk.” There was a fierce, manic light in the other Hiccup’s eyes. “Oh, that night’s raid was amazing. You should have seen it. All of Berk up in flames, people scattering, the dragons raining down on the village…”

“No...no, you didn't...”

The other Hiccup ignored him. 

“But the voice told me something else. It said that I was being prevented from reaching full strength by another. You. You’re sapping my energy; both of us can’t exist at the same time.”

Hiccup’s stomach turned over. “So...so you’re here to get rid of me?”

The other Hiccup looked amused at the sudden fear on Hiccup’s face. “Technically, yes. But don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Or your dragon.”

“What did you do to him?” he demanded, looking over at Toothless, who was watching the conversation with keen eyes. “Why won’t he come?”

“I told him if he stayed near you, I’d kill you,” he said simply.

A pang darted through Hiccup’s heart. Toothless was trying to protect him, but he was actually doing the opposite. “So if you’re not going to hurt me,” he said slowly, “why are you here?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I just need to know a few things. As long as you cooperate…” The tree behind Hiccup crackled as the other propped his hand against it and leaned in. “...everything will go fine.”

Somehow Hiccup knew he had to get out of there; every alarm in his head was going off. But some of that rebellion must have shown in his eyes, because there was a sudden prickling sensation around his neck and he gulped, tilting his head back to try and get away from the claws at his throat.

“On the other hand,” the other Hiccup continued, “if you don’t feel like obeying, things can get...nasty. I need you alive. But I don’t need you unharmed. Get the picture?”

Hiccup grimaced. He had no idea why this...other him...wanted to know so much about Toothless, but he figured keeping the information from him wasn't worth being tortured. _It’s just information. He could find it out from anybody._ “I got it,” Hiccup said.

The claws fell away. “See, I knew it wouldn't be too hard. So tell me, Hiccup: how did you train your dragon?”

Sighing in irritation, Hiccup explained impatiently about what he’d done after he let Toothless go, all the way up to the battle with the Red Death and how he’d lost his foot. “And by then we were just...best friends, I guess. Then the rest of the Vikings trained dragons and, well, we ended up here. Now.” He shifted in place self-consciously as the other Hiccup watched him steadily, without blinking. “Uh, that’s it.”

The other Hiccup tapped his chin, looking pensive. “So, when would you say it all started?”

Hiccup didn’t even have to think about it. “In the cove, right when I touched him for the first time. That’s when I knew.” He felt distinctly uncomfortable at their continued close proximity. “Why do you want to know, again?”

Getting casually to his feet, the other Hiccup brushed off his cloak. “Oh, just curiosity,” he replied. “I’ve never been to this world before. It’s nice to know what it would have been like before I reset the timeline and make sure none of this ever happens.”

Hiccup’s stomach seemed to drop to the ground. _“What?”_

“You told me exactly where I need to be in order to stop you from bonding with that dragon, pipsqueak. Everything will fall apart after that, just like it should.”

“You--!” Hiccup tried to stand up but a heavy foot was planted on his chest, pinning him to the tree behind him, almost knocking the wind out of his lungs. Toothless snarled in warning but the dragon still refused to move.

“Hey, you’re the one who gave me the info.” His smug smile was just as menacing as a snarl, cruel and mocking and satisfied. “I should thank you. You won’t have to fret for too long, either. It’ll only take a few days for your world to unravel, piece by piece, person by person. Maybe you’ll exist, maybe you won’t. But if you do, it won’t be like this, all powerful and respected and successful.” Venom was infused in every word he spoke, though the smile stayed on his face. “The mighty Dragon Whisperer, brought to his knees...wouldn’t that be a sight to see? I might even drop by later just to check on my handiwork.”

Hiccup felt sick. “No, you can’t do this--I haven’t done anything to you! I’m not powerful or anything...”

“You’re doing plenty just by existing,” said the other Hiccup vehemently, leaning harder on him. Hiccup’s breathing became strangled. “It’s not like you can stop me anyway, not even with all of your light.”

“Light?”

The other Hiccup backed off abruptly, leaving Hiccup to gasp for air. “You’re not worth my time,” he said dismissively, but Hiccup sensed a sudden apprehension in his tone, as though he’d said too much. “So long, Hiccup. Say good-bye to your dragon.”

Furious, Hiccup leapt to his feet, but as he glared into the other Hiccup’s dark green eyes bored into his own and he suddenly felt intensely dizzy, thoughts blurring into each other and night gathering at the edges of his vision. What’s happening?! His knees buckled before he could do anything other than panic and he vaguely felt himself hitting the ground, giving into the darkness.


End file.
